KEEPING YOUR PUPPY SAFE DURING THE HOLIDAYS!

The holiday season is a great time to celebrate and be grateful for all that we have in our lives! As wonderful as the holidays are, they can also be dangerous to our four-legged babies! Preparations need to be made to keep food away. Accommodations must be made prior to travel or proper care if you are leaving pups home! It is vitally important to follow these tips to keep everyone healthy and safe this holiday Season!

 As you know, overeating Holiday dinners can wreak havoc on our bellies, but fatty foods are extremely hard for canines to digest! Turkey bones can damage your pup’s digestive tract and holiday sweets can contain different ingredients that can be extremely poisonous!

•  POISONS IN HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS:
  • KEEP THE FOOD ON THE TABLE AND AWAY FROM YOUR PUP!
    • Eating turkey (or even small amounts of the turkey skin) can cause life-threating illness in your pups such as pancreatitis.
    • Fatty foods are hard for all animals to digest.
      • TIP: If you want to provide your fur-baby with something special, Life’s Abundance makes an amazing Turkey & Shrimp Broth for a special treat mixed in with their kibble that is specially formulated to be healthy for your pup.
  • AVOID ALL DESSERTS!
    • Chocolate can be extremely harmful to pets.  Keep away, as many dogs will find it tempting and sniff it out and eat it before you can even know what has happened!
    • Xylitol- commonly used in gum/sugar-free baked goods- can be deadly if consumed by animals!
  •  YEAST WILL CAUSE MAJOR PROBLEMS!
    • Yeast dough- like in biscuits or pie, can cause painful gas!
    • If your pup gets into this, watch for dangerous bloating!
  •  KEEP THE TRASH AWAY FROM YOUR PUP!
    • The delicious smell of leftover food, especially the turkey carcass, will be extremely appealing to your pup!
    • Dispose of bones/carcass’ in a covered, tightly secured trash bag.
    • If possible, store the closed trash container outdoors or behind a closed door.
  •  FOOD ISN’T THE ONLY THING TOXIC AT HOLIDAY EVENTS!
    • Some festive flowers/plants can be extremely toxic to your pups!
    • Avoid: Baby’s Breath, some ferns, hydrangeas and more!
      • Check out the ASPCA for a more detailed list of toxic plants HERE!
•  PREPARING FOR GUEST/HOLIDAY PARTIES:
  •  VISITORS CAN BE SCARY!
    • Some of our babies are shy/excitable around new people/crowds.
    • Activity/Noise levels can make even the most well-trained pups anxious and nervous.
  • PUPPY BACKUP PLAN!
    • If your pup is showing signs of stress (check out our Body Language Guides HERE) have a “safe place” set up.
    • This could be in another room (with or without their crate) and a favorite toy or bully stick!
  • WATCH THE EXITS!
    • Even if your pup is not normally the type to run away, they could be nervous and look for a way out!
  • MICROCHIPS!
    • Make sure your microchip is registered and your pup has proper ID Tags.
    • If they do happen to sneak away, you have a better chance of having them returned!
•  TRAVELING SAFELY WITH YOUR PUP
  •  Health Certificates.
    • If you are traveling over state lines for the holiday’s, make a vet appointment!
    • All 52 states in the USA require a health certificate issued within 30 days of travel along with rabies certificate!
      • Get more details on specific states HERE.
  • Car Safety!
    • All pups should be restrained in vehicles.
    • Airbags can be deadly to your pup.
    • This will also prevent any distractions while you are driving.
    • Check out more details on our Blog HERE.

 Here, at Royal Flush Havanese, we are ALWAYS here to help you! This time of year, should always be a joyous and memorable! Remember to be safe but to also have fun!  Be sure to check out our Facebook Page to share photos of your Royal Flush Havanese enjoying themselves this Holiday season!